


Marry Me A Little

by magicgamble



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/M, They're cute, elopement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-27 13:36:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10022918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicgamble/pseuds/magicgamble
Summary: Jack and Katherine take a big step in their relationship.





	

**Author's Note:**

> First requested on tumblr: http://akbroadway.tumblr.com/post/157826156940/jack-and-katherine-elope

Jack blew warm air into his hands while he waited.

The train station was quiet so late at night, with only a few travelers milling around, but Jack had been here for what seemed like hours. Saying goodbye to the newsies had been too painful to put off any longer, so he’d arrived here and settled himself on a bench long before Katherine was planned to arrive. Now, however, he was finally starting to feel the chill, and his leg bounced impatiently. Maybe something went wrong. Maybe she changed her mind. He couldn't seem to stop the possibilities from bombarding his head, and he took out his sketchbook to try to calm down.

Then, of course, it became heavy in his hands when he thought of how Crutchie and the others had given it to him for his last birthday in the lodging house. He put it away quickly and instead clasped his hands in front of him, peering out around the station for any sign of Katherine.

This is crazy, he thought, when she still hadn't arrived a few minutes later. One of the cops was starting to give him a strange look, and he wondered if Katherine had been caught trying to leave.

The thought made his leg bounce a little more, and he scrubbed a hand down over his face, remembering every detail of the conversation that had led them here.

“Jack, I’m done,” Katherine said, through tears. “I don't want to do this anymore. It's not worth it with him. He'll never understand.”

“Kat, he's your father,” Jack tried.

Katherine rolled her eyes, scoffing and then wiping a tear from her cheek. “He doesn't give a damn about me, Jack. If he did, he wouldn't be doing this to us.”

Joe hadn’t expected the romance between his daughter and the former newsboy to last, and when it had, he'd made it increasingly difficult for them to be together. Apparently, he was fine with Jack as an employee, but completely opposed to him as a prospective son-in-law.

“He just kept yelling that you weren't good enough,” Katherine said. “Over and over, and I can't live with someone who thinks that way about you.”

Jack shook his head. “But your career, Katherine. Everything you'se worked for…”

“I've done it all without his help, haven't I? I don't need to be here to write.”

And it was settled. He hadn't needed much convincing that this was the right thing for them to do. The only thing holding Jack to New York was his friends, and they were all growing up, finding their own paths. It was time for him to do the same, and he knew, if there was ever a right path for him, it was with Katherine.

“Jack,” a voice crept up over his shoulder, and he turned to see her standing there, suitcase in hand.

He stood. “You made it.”

She smiled. “Of course I did.”

“Was there any trouble?” he asked.

She shook her head, and he swore her eyes were wet. “No,” she whispered, and then the tears came loose, streaming down her face. She dropped her suitcase.

“Hey, hey,” Jack rushed forward, pulling her into his arms and rubbing comforting circles into her back. “What's wrong? Did you… did you change your mind?”

She pulled back to look him in the eyes and shook her head. “No,”she insisted. “It's just… a big step.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you change your mind?”

“About us?” He tucked some of her hair behind her ear, letting his fingers trail down across her jaw and down to her chin, “About you?” He shook his head. “Never.”

A slow, teary smile spread onto Katherine’s lips. “Damn you, Jack Kelly,” she whispered, before leaning forward and kissing him.

Jack held her close, realizing for the first time just how big of a step this really was. His whole life was going to change, but it wasn't really just his anymore. It was hers, too.

When she pulled away, Jack, breathless, asked the first and only thing occupying his mind. “Katherine, will you marry me?”

She froze, her mouth slightly agape, and he hastened, “I don't wanna just run away. I want you to know that this ain’t something I'm gonna regret, or something I don't take seriously. I love you. I love you and I want to marry you.”

She finally closed her mouth, and then said, softly, “I want to marry you, too.”

His chest lifted. “Is that a yes?”

She laughed, giving him another kiss. “As if I could ever say no.”

Jack kissed her back, and then squeezed her close, wondering, for not the first time and definitely not the last, how in the world he had managed this.

Finally, Katherine gave his hand a squeeze. “Are you ready?” she asked.

“I'm ready,” he assured her, picking up his suitcase. She grabbed hers, and together, they took the first step of the rest of their lives.


End file.
